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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25238086">Lines of Communication</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sotano/pseuds/Sotano'>Sotano</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Evolutionary Lines [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men Evolution</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:48:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,799</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25238086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sotano/pseuds/Sotano</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Magneto had clearly been gone from Charles' life for a while. Long enough that Charles felt justified in never telling Jean and Scott about him. That turned out to be a dangerous lie of omission, when Magneto returned to abduct Charles. He crossed a line on Asteroid M; making the children fight, talking about survival of the strongest; but Charles isn't just going to let him walk away again. Not without a confession.</p><p>Based on a bit of the canon from X-Men Evolution, where Charles (and only Charles) calls Magneto by his middle name for unknown reasons that match their unknown past. But basically it's just a how-the-hell-do-they-get-a-happy-ending story.</p><p>Adding a sequel b/c last chapter ended up being too long.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Evolutionary Lines [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2246652</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The first concession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Charles' window frame rattled purposefully, despite the lack of wind, and honestly he wasn't sure how to feel about it. Magnus had gone far, even for him. Their careful balance of sporadic, angry contact; built up over the last year or so after years of nothing; had once again been shattered by what Magnus had done on Asteroid M. Charles wasn't really in the mood for a second kidnapping.<br/>
"If you have something to say, say it," he announced, alone in his study. "Otherwise, I would prefer if you left me be."<br/>
The latch unlocked itself, and Magneto appeared, full regalia, floating at the tall bay windows. He came in and the windows closed behind him with a gentle click as his boots touched the ground.</p>
<p>Well, Charles supposed that was better than the broken glass of Magnus' last angry visit to his study.<br/>
"Charles," Magneto said. There was a downright vicious baring of teeth behind the helmet, and that same injured wild animal look in his eyes that Charles recognized from Asteroid M.<br/>
<br/>
Something was seriously wrong. Charles' anger and exhaustion were temporarily replaced with a searing, overriding concern.</p>
<p>His hand reached out to touch him and Magnus recoiled away.<br/>
"Magnus, please, what's wrong?" Charles began, but Magneto was already drawing himself up into a fury.<br/>
"How dare you speak to me like that? Always playing me, using my... feelings about you, twisting everything so that you can get what you want."<br/>
"Magnus, you're not yourself."</p>
<p>Magneto paced with a strange rhythm, and sneered back at him."So you've said, Charles, for as long as I've known you. It's all you ever used to say, when I was doing something you didn't want. You've held onto the belief that this is not who I am, and I'd even begun to believe you myself, until I got away. I've seen the very core of your being, Charles, because you've proffered it to me over and over again, and it relies on the idea that somehow if you can just keep getting in my way, one day I'll cave. One day I'll give up everything I know needs to be done to save your children and all the other mutants of the world and join you here. Play teacher, and somehow be happy."</p>
<p>Charles got the impression he wasn't meant to speak yet. The way he spat out the word happy, like a curse. The metal in the room creaked and groaned, including his wheelchair. This felt dangerous, and Charles was not so naive as to think that Magneto wouldn't hurt him. Not over the last few years, at any rate. All he could do was hope that he wouldn't hurt Magneto, in turn.<br/>
<br/>
"I can't do this," Magneto said, finally. "I refuse. I won't be weak, like you, I won't let mutants cower in fear forever--"<br/>
"--That's not--"<br/>
"--All of mutantdom cannot fit inside your school, Charles!" he spat, turning on his heels to face the telepath. "What will you do, when you have to start turning students away, and my Brotherhood isn't there to take them in? What will you do, in thirty years, when you're old and tired, and nothing has changed?"</p>
<p>Magneto was leaning over him now, demanding, and Charles could only meet his eyes, and meet that challenge. All his conflict resolution would be meaningless now. If Magneto sensed that he was backing away from the fight he'd only get angrier. Charles dreaded the moment he'd have to hear just how far into the abyss Magneto had gone this time.<br/>
<br/>
"Would you rather things changed for the worse, if it gave you the war you want so badly? I'm well aware my methods aren't perfect, but I'll protect every mutant I can, and if I'm not enough then the children will be. Would you rather drag us all into a conflict that only a select few are ready for, just so that you can strike first in your fucking crusade? Make children fight their parents, paint a target on the back of every morlock and every vagabond mutant, already so precarious?"<br/>
"Yes, Charles! The strong--"<br/>
"--Magnus, no. Please, you know what you sound like. You must know how you sounded, on the asteroid. I can't... I can't watch you go down that path."<br/>
<br/>
"There are no paths, Charles. Your dream isn't something that can be achieved from where we are now. There aren't steps to follow. There is only preventing what we both know, deep down, will come."<br/>
The metal of Charles' wheelchair was wrenching around his arms now, and it was growing painful.<br/>
"Magneto," Charles said, and wished he could sound less panicked. "You're hurting me."<br/>
Something in Magnus stuttered at that, and the mutant made a frustrated sound.<br/>
"Damn you, Charles, don't you understand?"</p>
<p>Magneto lifted his own helmet away and Charles was blindsided by the most profound confusion, self-loathing, pain, terror and need he'd ever experienced. He couldn't keep Magnus out, it was suffocating.<br/>
"All your endless fucking surrenders, all your begging and pleading, all your weakness," Magneto said, cupping Charles' face.<br/>
Charles was trying desperately not to get pulled into Magnus' mind, terrified of what he'd find there, or what he wouldn't.<br/>
"It's infected me," Magnus said finally, raw, knowing neither could ever really lie to the other.</p>
<p>Before Charles could think about implications, about the toxic hope that phrase evoked, Magneto was kissing him. Charles opened his mouth in surprise, really, more than anything else, but Magnus certainly took it for encouragement, groaning as he deepened the kiss, pulling Charles up.</p>
<p>Charles often had the thought that his life would be so much easier if he weren't attracted to Magneto. If Mageto weren't so painfully, unfairly, unspeakably handsome, or better yet if he could just switch off whatever key piece of him needed Magneto to be all right, needed to try to reach him. But Magnus was right, that bigger confession, wider and much more dangerous than simple attraction, was something deep in Charles' person. Something he'd built around. That was clearly true of both of them. Charles didn't know when he'd started kissing back, or when he'd put a hand in Magneto's shock-white hair.</p>
<p>Magneto growled at the contact, still not placated, obviously. Still furious with Charles, and Charles wouldn't dig deeper than that. He was being moved by Magnus' power, perched on top of the desk, so that Magnus didn't have to lean so far down to kiss him.<br/>
"What have you done to me?" Magnus managed, pulling Charles in again.<br/>
If Charles wasn't so deadly serious right now he might laugh. What had Charles done to *him*? What about the myriad ways that Magnus had ruined Charles' life? What about the years Charles had spent dreaming about white hair and steel, after Magnus had walked away?<br/>
"Coward," Magnus said, kissing Charles, pulling away his tweed jacket. "You're such a fucking coward, Charles. After all I've done to you. To everyone."<br/>
Charles kissed him this time, recognizing what that was. It was the first concession. Despite everything, Magnus was hard and insistent against him, running a hand under Charles' shirt feverishly.<br/>
"You've never wanted to hurt me," the telepath said.<br/>
"You're wrong," Magnus snapped. "I wanted to hurt you fifteen minutes ago. I wanted it so badly. I thought I came here to..."</p>
<p>Charles nodded, lips drawn tight, trying not to think about it. He'd suspected as much; that his old friend had come to do something bad enough that they'd finally be driven apart for good, and failing that, perhaps even to do something worse. "You couldn't," he said gently. That sparked more fury in Magnus' eyes.<br/>
"You knew, and you didn't even call for help, Charles! Why won't you defend yourself from me?"<br/>
"You know why."<br/>
"That's not good enough," he growled.<br/>
Even as he said it, he was tugging at Charles' turtleneck, and he pulled it over Charles' head before he could respond.<br/>
"Magnus," Charles gasped out, and whatever coherent response he had was lost to the way Magneto's hands touched his chest.<br/>
"You should hate me. I want you to hate me," he said more insistently. He bit Charles' neck, as if that might somehow be the straw that broke the camel's back.<br/>
"I was worried that I might," Charles answered honestly. "You endangered the children, and for reasoning I find abhorrent. But somehow when it comes to you..."</p>
<p>Charles tugged at his shoulders and Magneto let the plated armor there fall, as well as the cape, and then the ones at his chest, until the black shirt and pants were all that remained. Magnus couldn't meet his eyes as the metal floated downward. It felt like a moment of tenderness, and then Magneto shoved him back viciously against the desk, following him down. Charles' head cracked on the desk, where once Magneto might have caught him with his hand.</p>
<p>It was a reminder, not hard enough to do any damage. This was still something only just shy of hate sex. It was whatever they felt for each other that could never make it all the way to hatred. But Charles could work with this. It was at least somewhere to start, and Magneto was more himself than he was on the asteroid, even as he ground against Charles' hips.</p>
<p>He pulled away and Charles raised himself up to peer at his oldest friend. He planted one hand on the desk and leaned on his elbow as Magneto used his powers to undo the belt over his slacks, then the zipper. Magnus tugged curtly at Charles' hips to slide them off, just enough. It had been a long time, for both of them. Magnus had seen to that, by leaving the way he had, last time. Charles' hand reached for the drawer, just barely too far away, and Magnus got the hint. He pulled out an innocuous, unlabeled tube with an almost frightening humorlessness. He only barely slicked himself up, and pressed their cocks together.</p>
<p>Charles shut his eyes at the intensity of the sensation, at the intensity of Magneto's own response. He hadn't been as hard as Magnus, until now, and he felt faintly dizzy from it, plus the blow to the head and the whiplash from how quickly this had spiraled out of either of their control. Magneto made a wounded noise as Charles wrapped a hand around them, and the bigger mutant stuttered forwards helplessly. He bit at Charles, to try to regain some control, and whispered cruelly into his ear.<br/>
<br/>
"Always so secretive, Charles, to protect your children. You hadn't told them about me, about what I've done, and it gave me an opportunity I shouldn't have had."<br/>
"Just because I gave you an opportunity doesn't mean I'm responsible for your taking it," Charles said, frowning, struggling to keep his voice level.<br/>
"You still wouldn't tell them, just like you wouldn't call for help. Still don't trust them, or perhaps this time it's me you don't trust."<br/>
"I trust you," Charles said. "I trust you with me."<br/>
"The gulf between those two sentences, Charles," Magnus said, laughing hollowly, and Charles wished for one second he could stop fucking up his choice of words, but it was getting more and more difficult as Magnus kept moving.<br/>
"You can lie to them forever, Charles, but you can't lie to me. You can't fucking hide, just like I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried or how long."</p>
<p>Charles panted at Magnus' quickening pace, at the way his hands held him down, at the lips to his ears. He hadn't... no one had, since... But then, Magnus probably knew that.<br/>
"Admit it," Magneto said, demanding.<br/>
"I love you," Charles said, and it was either entirely the wrong thing to say or the only thing that could be said, but it was true, and Magneto was right. There was nothing Charles could hide behind.</p>
<p>Magneto kissed him, with a sound like he'd been punched in the gut at the word love.<br/>
"God, Charles, I love you," Magnus said, breath hot on his lips, eyes unable to meet him. "A-always needed you... to pull me back from the brink. I was terrified, this time," he said, and his hips stuttered again, "I was losing my mind, petrified that you wouldn't stop me."</p>
<p>He kissed him again. Charles could feel that it was true, could feel regret and disgust at his behavior on the asteroid, at all of that fight-to-the-death Darwinist posturing, hiding the abyssal fear that occasionally reared its head in Magneto's consciousness. Relief came over the telepath in waves, that Magnus didn't want that for the children, that it was a mistake.<br/>
"Charles," he said, like it was the only word he could manage, like a plea, and just like that Charles was lost. He spilled over his hand and Magneto was saying his name still, though Charles could barely hear him over his own heartbeat; the sound of rushing blood. Magneto came soon after, and pulled away.</p>
<p>Charles realized faintly that he must look like a mauling victim, but that was a problem for tomorrow. More pressingly, Magneto had a tortured look on his face as he toweled them both off, and fixed Charles' clothes, and put him back into the chair, and Charles knew what it meant. Even though he'd known all along, he still had to work to bite back his disappointment.<br/>
"You're not staying," he said, and God his voice sounded tired.<br/>
"I can't. Not... not yet. Charles, there are things I have broken that I need to fix, and--"<br/>
"--It's all right, old friend."<br/>
It would be of no use trying to force him, or guilt him. Something had shifted tonight, and Charles was certain at least that Magneto would no longer be their enemy, not in the way he had been recently. It wasn't enough, but it could be enough for now. Charles caught flashes of Magneto's meaning, at any rate: his children, Pietro already in trouble and Wanda, an open wound of regret.</p>
<p>Magneto stood, a foot away from him, mouth open, trying to find something to say. Trying to grapple with how it was that he'd arrived here half-delirious, thinking to break his ties with Charles once and for all, or break *Charles*, and how he'd leave now having confessed to still loving the man. Charles supposed this wasn't easy for him, either, and tried to keep in mind that the other mutant really did think he was saving them. And he wasn't... without a point. As always. Magneto was still gaping, and Charles quirked an eyebrow at him.<br/>
"I'll... would you mind, terribly, if..."<br/>
He trailed off, frustrated, and gestured at his head.</p>
<p>Charles read the very surface of Magneto's mind, at his invitation, and smiled.<br/>
"Please, Magnus. I'll be here. Visit whenever you'd like, you know I couldn't turn you away. I have your old chess set, somewhere, if you'd like to have a game."<br/>
And, Charles added in his mind, I'd prefer it a million times over the complete radio silence. Now, at least, Magneto had the grace to look ashamed. He nodded.<br/>
"I'd like that very much. Charles, I'm sorry. I'll say it properly, one day."<br/>
"I know," Charles said firmly, and felt better than he had in a long time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The last concession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The great Mutant Master of Magnetism had been defeated in, what? Two minutes? Perhaps a little less. Apocalypse was in a different league entirely, and Magneto was well aware of just how badly he'd screwed up this time. He was expecting to be dead, but it appeared that Apocalypse had better ideas. He, and soon Mystique, were trapped in some cocoon of ancient alien technology below ground, and the world merely thought them dead. However, while his body was trapped, his mind seemed free to wander the earth, whether through Apocalypse's technology or his mutant powers he wasn't sure. It was a moot point, at any rate. Magnus' mind only ever wandered to one place.</p><p>So, he floated above the frankly abysmal scene at the X-Mansion. Charles' battle-competent children had succeeded in capturing Mesmero, which was all very well, but now Magnus was subjected to viewing what passed for an interrogation among the X-Men, and he wondered dismally how these children had ever managed to get anything done at all. Good lord, was Jean Grey planning on coddling Mesmero into submission? Magneto was ready to start tearing hair out in frustration when Charles began to speak.<br/>
<br/>
Oh God, was that a "please"? Magnus rolled his eyes and felt himself checking out, mentally. </p><p>Mesmero sneered at Charles, looking only about half as disgusted as Magneto felt, and then suddenly the atmosphere in the room shifted. Charles had drawn himself up, tilted his head just enough so that he stared derisively at Mesmero, and that underplayed, softly spoken manner Charles carried himself with fell for just a moment. Just long enough to give Mesmero a hint of the maelstrom of power behind Charles' polite, intelligent eyes.<br/>
"I can take the knowledge from you by force if you prefer," Charles said, coldly, "but I won't be as gentle as Miss Grey."<br/>
<br/>
Magneto felt his attention snap back to the scene so quickly it made his head spin.</p><p>Mesmero was forthcoming after that, up until a point.<br/>
"I-I've said too much... Apocalypse's wrath--"<br/>
"--He is not your primary concern," Charles said brusquely. "Not at the moment."</p><p>Charles put his hands to Mesmero's temples. Magneto felt his pulse quicken, in a body on another continent. Was... was he jealous of Mesmero? The robed mutant cried out and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fought uselessly, and a lance of attraction shot through Magnus. When was Charles ever this rough? It was frightfully appealing.</p><p>Of course, Charles had to go and ruin it. After all that, his big plan was to locate the giant, all powerful, ancient blue mutant going by the name "Apocalypse" and... talk... to him.<br/>
"Charles, if you die I swear I'll fucking kill you," Magneto muttered to himself, alone wherever he was.<br/>
They had finally been working something like together, before Magneto had ruined that too, and it had felt so easy to slip into that habit of following the shots Charles called, of thoughtlessly, capably saving the wheelchair-bound mutant. They were like they'd been before Magnus had really hurt the man: disagreements were there, but they didn't get in the way of anything.</p><p>Back all those years ago, Magnus had fucked it all up, had run away, but there seemed to have been a slow, precipitous return in recent years. It was so glacial, Magnus hadn't noticed just how far he'd shifted. Things that he'd usually have no problem with saying often now tasted like bile. At first he'd tried to fight it, to fight Charles, but that was no good. Then he worked to undermine Charles, to force Charles to adapt to new circumstances, to the global emergence of mutants in the public eye, but Charles held steady and he only grew more lonely, until he was visiting Charles every second he could, in the dark of Charles' study, drinking brandy and not managing to play much chess.</p><p>When he screwed up the Apocalypse thing it almost felt like an excuse to be at Charles' side, finally. He caught the suspicious glances of Charles' X-Men at how easily the wolf seemed to fall into line, he caught Wolverine's unveiled mistrust whenever he touched Charles, and he couldn't find it in him to care much at all.</p><p>Well, Magnus watched Charles face Apocalypse. It was only fair, since Charles had watched him. In the end, Charles managed to get a good three or four sentences out. Honestly, it was more than Magnus was expecting. Apocalypse lifted him out of his chair, and Storm came to his defense, and just like that there were four. Himself, Mystique, Storm, and Charles. Well, at least Charles hadn't died. Magneto tried to hold onto that. He didn't know what to do with himself otherwise, and he knew it was unlikely either of them would be alive for much longer.</p><p>"Nicely done, Saint Charles. Between the two of us we occupied him for a good collective thirty seconds," Magnus muttered. He was in the dark now, there was nothing worth watching in the world.<br/>
"Oh, this is distinctly unpleasant," Charles said, suddenly floating before him in the endless dark.<br/>
"Charles?"<br/>
"Hello, Magnus," Charles said, flexing his arms and legs. "I suppose we're to be the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, then? How cliche."<br/>
<br/>
"Mystique couldn't contact me like this," Magnus said, frowning.<br/>
"Did you want her to?" Charles asked, quirking an eyebrow that seemed designed to make Magnus feel foolish. "It's because of my powers, Magnus. We're in the astral plane. Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't recognize it."<br/>
Magnus' lip curled in distaste. "My memories of the astral plane are not... good ones."<br/>
Charles softened. "I'm sorry, Magnus. Really, I'm just finding myself quite relieved you're not dead."<br/>
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Magneto said with a sigh. "As they say, the night is young."<br/>
Charles laughed dryly at that, still floating.<br/>
"I can see bits and pieces of the world, if I focus," Magnus offered.<br/>
"Yes, something's made the plane particularly thin, I'm willing to venture Apocalypse has had a hand in it. I imagine he could see us coming from miles away, which is why your brute-force approach didn't work."</p><p>Now that really was beyond the pale.<br/>
"I daresay it worked a little better than your approach, Charles, which was, what? Walk up to him and surrender? If we ever get out of here, I've got half a mind to strangle you for even thinking of talking to Apocalypse."<br/>
Charles only shrugged. "It was worth a try," he said.<br/>
"Under no circumstances was it *worth a try*, Charles. It was, and I cannot stress this enough, the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my unnaturally long life."<br/>
Charles had really a quite unreadable expression on his face, and Magneto found himself struggling to guess what the man was thinking, and then it was too late. They were being deployed. Charles kept them connected through the fight, whether to commiserate or to distract, Magnus wasn't sure. When Wanda stepped off a helicarrier to face him, he cursed Apocalypse in every language he knew, as well as what might be some form of ancient Egyptian floating around in his head because of damnable Apocalypse tech.</p><p>
<br/>
</p><p>The relief that washed over him when the X-Men somehow won was incredible. His children were at his side in an instant, and he begged forgiveness from both of them before collapsing into the back of the plane. After a short flight (or it might have been a long one, Magnus blacked out), they were back in Westchester. Magnus didn't care at all how it looked. He ensured that his children were happy and safe in guest rooms at the mansion, and made his way upstairs to Charles' master bedroom. He stole what he fervently hoped was Charles' toothbrush, tossed his plate armor off with a final shrug of his powers, and crashed atop Charles' small bed in his black undershirt and pants.</p><p>Charles, who had significantly more children than he, only made it upstairs later, and Magneto half-asleep helped him onto the bed. When he woke, some ten hours had passed and Charles was looking over him with a concerned expression. Magnus was first struck by the cut on the upper corner of his oldest friend's ridiculously sharp cheekbones. Next, he noticed how exhausted they both were, to the point where Charles wasn't even in his head.<br/>
"What is it, Charles?"<br/>
"I'm... happy you're back. I missed you," Charles said, though Magneto got the sense that was only a part of the truth.<br/>
Something slotted into place. "You thought I'd died."<br/>
"Well," Charles said, frowning, "yes. That is generally what happens when one is torn apart into a million pieces by an all-powerful mutant."<br/>
Magnus made a dismissive gesture. "No, as in, it makes sense now. You were lashing out. That's why you were so..."<br/>
"Violent?" Charles supplied. "Reckless? Confused? Yes," he finally admitted. "It is."<br/>
<br/>
"Honestly, I found the violence supremely attractive," Magneto said with a predatory grin. Charles' affronted look was deeply satisfying. "Not the recklessness, though, Charles, and if you ever do anything that stupid again not even Apocalypse will stop me from getting you."<br/>
Charles' smile was fond, but a frown still pulled just sligtly at his features.<br/>
"There's something else," Magnus said evenly, lounging back in Charles' modest bed.<br/>
<br/>
Charles sighed. "I... I saw the future."<br/>
Magnus stiffened, and straightened up to stare at Charles. "What do you mean, you saw the future?"<br/>
The telepath shrugged, as if that were a normal fucking response to Magneto's line of questioning. "Apocalypse had seen glimpses of it, I suppose one of his many powers must have been precognition."<br/>
"That's not what--Jesus, Charles, were you *rooting around* in Apocalypse's mind during the fight of our lives?"<br/>
"I needed something to occupy me, so that I didn't ruin everything by finding out the X-Men's plans." Charles put his hands up in a defensive gesture.</p><p>Under normal circumstances Magnus would be very excited by the prospect of Charles' psychic prowess outfoxing a literal God. Even under *these* circumstances, Magnus could feel a certain heat coiling, but Charles still looked so damned concerned.<br/>
"If Apocalypse could see the future, didn't he know he was going to lose?"<br/>
"I've actually got a few theories about that," Charles said with a faraway look that meant they'd go through it later, when Charles had three whiteboards and six cups of coffee at his disposal.<br/>
"All right," he said finally. "What did you see?"<br/>
Charles hesitated, inhaled. "I'm not sure I should say... I don't want to, well..."</p><p>Oh. So Charles had seen him in the future. He'd seen Magneto, probably doing something horrifying, probably messing everything up again for everyone, and he didn't want to give Magnus any ideas. He couldn't have it on his conscience, and honestly, Magneto couldn't blame him.<br/>
"Just tell me I don't hurt you again," Magneto said. Even if it isn't true, he thought.<br/>
Charles balked. "What? No! It's--" he made a frustrated, defeated sound and grabbed Magnus' head.</p><p>A vision shot through their connection. It wasn't the articulate, enveloping sort of vision he was used to from Charles, replete with every possible detail, as real as life. It was flat and a little transparent, like watching a film projected onto glass. Magnus wondered if that was because of how drained Charles currently was, or because it wasn't a telepathic vision at all but a different power altogether. Either way, it felt fragile, like if Magnus leaned on it, the scene might shatter. And when the images started to play, Magnus understood why Charles was so hesitant.</p><p>Magnus saw himself, smiling, guiding a few of the young mutants around the danger room. Some sort of physics lesson. He looked... satisfied. There were hardships, and heartbreak for Charles as Jean was subsumed by something... other, but he saw Charles in the garden, smiling wholly and uncomplicatedly, and he saw his future counterpart joining him. Had Charles ever looked at him like that? Magneto felt a strange covetousness burn through him. This was what he wanted, for Charles, for his children. For mutantdom.</p><p>Charles, now, pulled away and the images stopped suddenly. He was looking at Magnus with a deeply vulnerable expression, and then he had to look away.<br/>
"I didn't want to... to affect your decision-making. If I'm being honest with myself, I didn't want to do something that might inadvertently make this future null and void. I understand completely if--"</p><p>Magnus was already kissing him, pulling him down, and Charles made what might have otherwise been an embarrassingly relieved sound from the back of his throat, but they were both worn out and depleted, and Magnus pulled away to look at Charles again. He brushed a thumb over Charles' lower lip, and Charles kissed it gently. Magneto felt heat pull downwards again.<br/>
"If I weren't so exhausted," Magnus warned.<br/>
Charles was grinning like a schoolboy.</p><p>Neither of them had even managed to change, and the bed was an absolute mess. At least they hadn't made it under the covers. Magneto's discarded cape was pooled on the floor, his metal plate armor was around them everywhere, and now that he was thinking about it, Charles' clothes were in complete tatters. He ran a hand over a destroyed turtleneck that looked as if it might have gone through a shredder. It was torn entirely at the shoulder, so that Magnus could see vast expanses of skin, all the way to a sleekly muscled abdomen.<br/>
"You fought like this?" Magnus asked, a little incredulous.<br/>
Charles shrugged, which shifted the remaining fabric over his skin. Magnus followed it with his eyes, and then his hand. "Some of us find metal armor restrictive."</p><p>There was something extremely valuable to Magneto's inherent sense of aestheticism in the idea of a near-feral Charles Xavier, dressed like this, tearing through wave after wave of sentinels like some kind of drugged out avenging angel; and maybe he wasn't all that exhausted after all.<br/>
Charles must have heard the thought, or must have figured it out from the context of the way that Magneto had shifted to pin him down on the bed, raking his eyes over him, because he laughed good-naturedly. Almost giddily, and when was the last time Magneto had managed to make Charles laugh without an underpinning of bitterness?<br/>
"At least some good has come out of all of this," Charles said, covering his smile with the back of his hand.</p><p>Magneto non-verbally agreed, curling his hands around the telepath's hips. Charles stretched languidly, and Magneto kissed his stomach, undoing his trousers deftly with his fingers.<br/>
"That had better be in order to get us into a shower," Charles said, a hint of suggestion in his tone.<br/>
"The first good idea you've had in months, Charles."<br/>
He stripped them both down to their boxers and carried Charles into the bathroom. </p><p>Getting clean was a process of focus and then distraction, and outright sabotage on Magnus' part as he routinely ignored the spray of water to kiss him. Charles' shower was necessarily massive, and at  certain point Magnus gave up and laid Charles on the floor, kissing a trail down his stomach to finish what he'd started.<br/>
Charles shuddered, called out his name as Magnus got him off with a practiced ease. They were unspeakably familiar, even like this, and Magnus wanted to say it was Charles' mouth, his hands, that undid him, but it was unquestionably those eyes. Charles' long lashes, that clever, contented gaze. He came with a curse, too suddenly.</p><p>He rose, and turned the shower off, toweled them both, and carried Charles back into the bedroom. The clock said it was well into the day, and Magneto resolutely ignored it in favor of the way Charles played with his hair. He took one look at the sheets on the bed and flung them away, setting Charles down lightly.</p><p>Magneto realized that he was still grinning, and leaned over to kiss Charles again.<br/>
"We need to change," Charles said when they came apart, voice thick with apathy. "And not in the philosophical sense. Although..."<br/>
"That, too," Magneto supplied.<br/>
Charles hummed, and Magneto got dressed, passing Charles a nightshirt and some thick trousers and looting his closet for something that might fit him. Once they were more or less dressed, Magneto returned to the bed to hold Charles for a moment. Charles for his part was lost in thought, casually running his fingers up Magnetos forearm until he finally spoke.<br/>
"Violence was their way, Magnus. I don't dispute that, but there isn't any room for it between mutants."<br/>
Magneto knew he looked profoundly unconvinced on that front. "I think you'll find a use for my violent habits in service of your dream, Charles. Especially if those visions of yours are anything to go by."</p><p>Charles just beamed at the confirmation that Magneto was sticking around for good this time. His face switched to an amused panic, suddenly.<br/>
"Well, since you're staying, I'd suggest you get yourself decent in the next few moments, because Logan and Scott are going to burst through that door any second now."</p><p>Charles pushed up, Magneto did up his own zipper and they disentangled themselves just in time. Logan, characteristically, didn't knock. Magneto sat at the edge of the bed, looking down at Charles innocuously as a hint of a smile ghosted over Charles' neutral expression.<br/>
"Professor?" Scott asked, as Magneto cleared his throat.<br/>
Of course, it didn't look quite right; since Magneto's clothes were littered all over the room along with the bed sheets, his hair was wet and he was wearing what could only be one of Charles' shirts; but they both kept a straight face.<br/>

"Scott," Charles said with a very real warmth. "Is everything all right?"<br/>
"That's what we wanted to ask you," Logan interjected, eyes narrowing at Magneto, who looked up to the ceiling in a poor approximation of disinterested innocence.<br/>
"I'm all right, Logan. We both are. It seems that whatever Apocalypse did to boost our powers has left all of his horsemen rather drained, but it's nothing that a little rest won't cure."<br/>
Scott visibly relaxed. "Kitty and Jean are waiting for you downstairs," he said. "You should probably eat something. Spike went to check on Ororo, but it sounds like you're all fine."<br/>

Charles nodded, and Logan and Scott were going to leave, when Scott turned around.<br/>
"Wanda and Pietro, and some of the rest of the Brotherhood are downstairs too. Uh, waiting for you, that is. Both of you."<br/>
Charles and Magneto exchanged a look, and Charles smiled. Scott had grown surprisingly good at the whole leadership game, and for once Magneto got a bit of that feeling that things were going to be okay. The future was bright, and it was downstairs making breakfast.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The long apology</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Charles finally made his way up to the attic, and Magneto's workshop. Of course, Magneto sensed the metal in his chair coming, and wasn't too concerned that his friend had been thirty minutes late. It gave him a few more minutes to tinker. The light through the circular window was fading, offering a brilliant orange spotlight through the center of the room by the time he heard Charles' voice.<br/>
<br/>
"Magnus? I'm sorry, Scott wanted me to drop in on a video call to his brother, you know how these things can spiral a little."<br/>
"Ah yes, young Havok," Magnus said, without turning away from the bench he was sat at.<br/>
"With a k, darling, which I blame you entirely for."<br/>
"How was I supposed to know he couldn't spell the word havoc when I gave him a mutant name?"<br/>
The fact that they could joke about Asteroid M, and the fact that Magneto himself saw it as more or less a manic episode, was oddly fulfilling. He turned to face Charles with a warmth he hoped didn't betray the extent of the surprise. "Never mind, Charles, you're really just on time. Come, lay down."</p><p><br/>
"I'm sorry?" Charles tilted his head.<br/>
"You'll see. Honestly, Charles, it's like you don't trust me," he said, turning away with a private smile.<br/>
Magneto's powers shifted an elegant, minimal table lower as he pulled six metal slips, each about the size and thickness of a credit card, out of their charging stations. Charles laid on the cold metal surface, and in the interest of expedience Magneto used his powers to slip the metal underneath Charles' pant legs. Better not to have Charles' skin exposed to the cold, considering, and besides, the control mechanism needed testing through fabric. He affixed them to their proper positions and touched the uppermost two over Charles' pants. A faint blue light shone through at the six different points.<br/>
Well, the control mechanism worked. Magneto was very pleased with himself over that, actually.</p><p> <br/>
After a moment, Charles sat up ramrod straight, and Magneto smiled.<br/>
<br/>
"I can feel my... I can..." Charles' frown deepened and Magneto's smile widened.<br/>
"How-- this is Apocalypse tech," Charles said shaking one of his legs.<br/>
"You're not the only one who pilfered a few of the God's secrets, Charles. We're both just a couple of thieves in the temple, as it were," Magnus said smugly, running his hands over Charles' legs, reaching out with his powers to sense for any problems.</p><p>The look on Charles' face was a slowly unfurling wonder which had currently paused on disbelief. Magnus was a bit of an expert on Charles' expressions; he supposed one must be when one's partner is a telepath, it's only fair. Still, some explanation was in order.</p><p>"I found some of the discarded bits and pieces from what was controlling us and it turns out that among other things they were incredibly advanced neural-synaptic responders. All I had to do was replicate them, change the recievers to match your brain waves, and take out all the rest. No power boost, I'm afraid, I think that was partly just him. But do let me know if you suddenly feel any impulses to worship En Sabah Nur, dearest."<br/>
Charles gave him a withering look.<br/>
"That was a joke, Charles."</p><p>The telepath sat upright, swinging himself smoothly upwards in one gesture, and tested his legs out in front of him, raising them and lowering them again, before looking back to Magneto.<br/>
"This is incredible, Magnus. If we can ensure they're not dangerous, this could change a lot of lives."<br/>
Magneto rolled his eyes.<br/>
"Trust Saint Charles to immediately think of the applications for other people."<br/>
"I'm serious, Magnus. This is revolutionary, even for you."<br/>
Charles stood, a bit of a moment of truth, as Magneto devastatingly reddened at Charles' praise. He seemed to be all right, but stumbled a little shifting his weight, and Magnus was there to catch him.<br/>
<br/>
"Consider it the most physical part of a very belated apology, Charles. For a lot of things. And, yes, I admit I may or may not have some ideas about a few scientific leaps and bounds for paralysis treatment and perhaps if we're lucky, prosthesis."</p><p>Charles kissed him, thoroughly endeared, and Magneto swore he'd never take for granted the feeling of Charles kissing him so without reservation. It was a little too much, though, and Charles in his arms like this was a bit... hm. Magneto realized he had better pull back, and stumbled for words.</p><p><br/>
"Well, that is, I should also mention that the battery isn't all there, again I think they were drawing energy from Apocalypse in part, so they'll only work for a little while, but it's really for emergency situations that you keep putting yourself in--"<br/>
"--Is this what you've been working on late at night for the past month?"<br/>
Charles' smile now was affectionate, lightly teasing, exclusively reserved for Magneto.</p><p><br/>
"I'm not always going to be around, Charles. Well, I'm going to be around for most of them, but what if I'm not?"<br/>
"You worry about me," Charles said in an amused tone of voice, as if that were a hilarious, quaint sentiment, and Magneto supposed it was, really. Charles Xavier got bored fighting a God, once, and Magneto could move metal about a bit.<br/>
"Constantly, Charles," Magneto said, very seriously, and kissed him again. Magnus very quickly lost track of what he was supposed to be doing, or not doing, rather, and put an insistent hand on Charles' hip. The telepath's lips were soft and Mangeto knew from extensive practice that they were starting to redden. He pulled back, wanting to see for himself, and his other hand gripped Charles' chin in consternation.<br/>
"It's not my fault you have the self-preservation instincts of a particularly trusting Great Auk," he said, shaking Charles' chin just a little before letting the hand reach for the back of his neck and stealing another kiss.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Charles laughed breathily, clutching Magnus' shoulders to catch a pause, resting his head against the taller mutant's collarbone.<br/>
"The Mutant Master of Magnetism makes biology jokes now," Charles said, smiling into Magneto's chest. "But, if we're talking about particularly pointless extinctions, darling, there's an Argentine fighting dog breed which fits us much better."<br/>
"I don't know if I know that one," Magneto admitted. "I'm not ludicrously overeducated like you."<br/>
"I'm the perfect amount of educated, darling, I run a school."<br/>
"I don't know any other school principals with seven degrees."<br/>
"Your sample size is me, and that brief period when Mystique posed as the principal of the local high school. It's not a reflective sample."<br/>
Magneto kissed Charles, and worried he was rewarding pedantry. "You were saying something about dogs?"<br/>
"Indeed," Charles said, mirthful, sitting back onto the table.</p><p>"The dogs they bred in Cordoba were a mix of several very aggressive breeds. The poor creatures were designed to be fighters, and were said to be the most skilled, ferocious warrior animals on the planet. Unfortunately," Charles said, pulling Magnus closer by the front of his shirt (Magnus tended to go in for button-ups, these days, rather than suits of armor) and kissing him. "When two Cordoba dogs were put in the same room together for the purposes of, well, making *more* Cordoba dogs, they found that the dogs would rather fight than have sex."<br/>
"An interesting parallel," Magneto demurred, "although in our case, not always accurate."</p><p>Charles quirked an eyebrow. "Lucky for us, I suppose, that verbal sparring doesn't necessarily preclude sex."<br/>
"Yes, well," Magneto said, picking Charles up by the back of his thighs, pressing him against the wall, "there's something to be said for your unique approach to debate."<br/>
Charles laughed, resting his weight carefully onto Magneto's frame. "I do so enjoy our conversations," he said, kissing his way up Magnus' neck before biting playfully at his ear. There was something charming, something a little electrifying about the way Magneto could feel a wicked smile against his jaw as Charles moved on to kiss that next.<br/>
It didn't help that Magneto only swore in his mind, of course. "God, I take it back," Magneto said, groaning. "If this is your idea of a conversation maybe your plan for Apocalypse wasn't as stupid as I thought."</p><p>Charles' smile was crooked, his eyes just barely lidded, and Magneto kissed him again before setting him down gently. Things had heated up a little past where either of them had expected them to, but for him that was the risk of being alone in a room with Charles Xavier. And talking to Charles Xavier about evolution, he supposed, and he really only had himself to blame. Charles absently straightened Magneto's hair as Magnus fixed his shirt. It was only five in the afternoon, after all, and they had quite a lot to do before they could call the day theirs. They spent a few more moments cooling down and Charles worked on moving his legs again.<br/>
"Well, I'd say the first test run was a resounding success," Magnus said, satisfied. "Let's go show the kids."</p><p> </p><p>The children were suitably impressed; Pietro had about sixty questions per minute and soon Magneto was being completely monopolized by Beast. Charles and Jean had a lovely conversation about ability and positionality, and Charles firmly reassured her that there would be ample time to consider what to do with the work Magnus had done, and they could consult with whoever would be appropriate, even if they were human, which Charles was personally looking forward to forcing Magneto to go along with. There certainly shouldn't be any profit being made with something like this, he agreed. The school was well-funded, for now, through a few of Beast's scientific patents and a few of his own wise investments. They had grown significantly, though, and for the most part they'd become more and more like an enclave, even if they had people across the globe.</p><p>That might be Magneto's pull on Charles, and now that Magneto had conceded to join Charles he might have slowly started to meet Magnus halfway. Or, perhaps more simply, it was because Bayview High School was a joke of an institution and Charles wanted a slightly better educational experience for the next generation of mutants. Learning to fit in, he'd decided, was overrated, and it was certainly not more important than learning basic algebra. Now they had enough students to teach a full retinue of classes for most grades, and Charles had some of the best teachers in the world. He fondly watched the teens clamor around the kitchen, and watched Magneto ruffle Bobby Drake's hair.<br/>
</p><p>So far, thanks to Magneto's help and the slow process of children growing up and growing out creating new safe places and opportunities, they hadn't needed to turn any mutant away who sought help.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>That night, Magneto slid off the metal cards, put them in their station and helped Charles into the mercifully much larger bed.<br/>
"I like these better than the regeneration chambers I made," Magnus offered, reaching for the light. "I'm not entirely convinced they weren't fucking with my mental health."<br/>
"Something to work out before you go public, I agree," Charles said, nestling against his chest in the dark.<br/>
They were both exhausted, it had been a busy day (month, a little voice in Magnus' head added) for both of them. Still, Magneto found himself caught up in lazy kisses and whispered words of affection until he drifted away.</p><p> </p><p>Some interminable amount of time later, whatever dream or non-dream Magnus had been having dissipated in favor of Charles' study; hyper-real but somehow separated from Magnus, like he was looking in through a fog. Charles sat by the fireplace, lounging on an armchair Magneto knew wasn't in the study any longer. Charles looked at Magnus, upside down from the position his head was in.<br/>
<br/>
"You didn't get enough of me in your waking hours?" Magnus asked, unreasonably self-satisfied. His voice at first had an echoing, ringing quality, until Magneto snapped properly into the scene like tuning to the right frequency. The fog lifted, and Magnus heard the fire's pleasant crackle, felt its warmth on his skin, concrete.<br/>
"Apparently not," Charles said, righting himself.<br/>
"I can't believe you still dream about your study."<br/>
Charles shrugged as Magnus walked over. "It's where my brain can relax."</p><p>"Not always, I seem to recall," Magneto said, and quite a few scenes from their long affair; Magnus' long apology; played out around them for a moment while Charles' powers were distracted.<br/>
"No," Charles agreed, suddenly flushed and fidgeting, shaking his head to pull thoughts away of Magneto's hands on his chest. "Not always."<br/>
Magneto pulled Charles up by the shirt and kissed him, leaning onto the armchair. This was a bit childish, and a bit reckless, but it had been a long fucking day.<br/>
"We can go somewhere else, if you'd like. It is, as they say, my party."</p><p>To demonstrate, Charles snapped his fingers and the scene melted only to be replaced by a perfect recreation of Magneto's underground base of operations in New York City. Sweeping metal balustrades were illuminated by eerie white light, and the atrium led off in all sorts of odd directions through massive tunnels. Magneto was completely certain that Charles had only ever been here once.<br/>
"Showoff," Magnus chastised.<br/>
"You like it," Charles shot back, lazily smiling. He took Magneto by his front, pushing him back lightly, and suddenly he was against one of the cool metal walls. "You like everyone to be reminded exactly how powerful I am."<br/>
Magneto pushed forward against Charles' hands but they were suddenly like steel against him, pinning him.<br/>
"You like knowing what I can do," Charles said as he kissed Magneto's collarbone, almost sweetly. "And you like it best when you've wound me up past the point where I can hold back."</p><p>Magneto's temperature spiked as he suddenly felt that kiss multiply outwards, felt Charles' mouth everywhere. This was going to end embarrassingly quickly if he didn't do something. He reached out with his powers, and Charles smiled. Nothing happened.<br/>
"There's no metal here, Magnus. It's not real."<br/>
"This--ah--feels real enough," Magneto said through gritted teeth.<br/>
"And this?" Charles asked, still smiling, and sank to his knees in a prim, fluid gesture. One of the telepath's hands curled around Magneto's thigh and the other kept him still, flat over his stomach.<br/>
He kissed Magnus' cock through the fabric.<br/>
"T-tease," Magneto managed, bringing a hand down to cup Charles' jaw.</p><p>Charles' eyes flicked up to him, still fixed with that bright gaze and the arrogant half-grin that made Magnus want to do terrible things. The expressions that only came out for him, only he could ever see Charles this way, and it was a strange rush of power even as he knew the telepath was in control. Charles undid his trousers and licked a stripe up Magnus' erection that made him almost lose the function of his knees altogether. When he felt Charles' mouth on him, his head went back so quickly it banged against the metal wall.<br/>
"I thought this was what you wanted," Charles' voice said in his head, even as he could feel Charles' lips over the tip of his dick. God, he could hear the smile.<br/>
"Charles," Magneto said, and it wasn't a whine, it wasn't, until Charles sped up, and Magneto wasn't done, damn it all.<br/>
The space around them melted, and they were in Magneto's workshop. "Or maybe this was what you wanted, earlier today. It was certainly on my mind."</p><p>Magneto groaned and couldn't shut his eyes as one of Charles' idle fantasies played out before him. Dream-Magnus had Charles bent just so over the work desk, pressed against him, arm viselike at his neck. He was saying something, as he lined himself up, tortuously slow, and Magnus couldn't quite catch it, but he knew more or less what it would be from the look of desperation on Charles' face. Magneto had no idea how he was holding out, it must have been on sheer stubbornness. When other-Charles gasped, Magneto heard it ringing in his ears, and he looked down and Charles shuddered. Oh.</p><p>Magnus' grin was predatory as Charles pulled off of him, breathing heavily.<br/>
"You've over-extended, haven't you, Charles? Couldn't just stay in your head, you had to check mine too. It's too much for you now. All that need, yours and mine."<br/>
Charles' powers lashed out, but Magneto just pulled him up, swiping the idle fantasies and ghost-figures away and pressing him against the table. "My turn," Magnus said, against his ear.</p><p>He fucked Charles the way the telepath had been thinking about: slowly at first, and almost frighteningly controlled, whispering poison and sweet nothings in equal measures. It devolved quickly as Charles' control over the dream grew less stable, and their surroundings blurred, and Magnus' self-control was in tatters. Charles kissed him, eyes wrenched shut, and that was enough, apparently, for a sentimental fool.</p><p>After that, the dream moved to a long-forgotten rooftop apartment from Charles' student days, and Magneto couldn't help but think Charles had gotten exactly what he wanted out of him, like he always did. The difference was, these days, Magneto didn't seem to mind.</p><p>In the morning, they both felt rather miraculously rested, and managed to shower together in a reasonable amount of time, for once. It was a beautiful day out, and Charles helped him go over a proposed curriculum change. They took their time, as usual, to go down for breakfast, in order to give the kids a bit of time for lawlessness. Charles seemed to feel that early mornings should be rewarded in children, and not demanded of them. Classes started later, and Magnus didn't know as much about theory of education, but he wholeheartedly approved of the hour or so of relative peace they usually got to look out over the garden.</p><p>Just as Magnus was buttoning up his dress shirt there was a knocking at the door. Charles looked to him and he nodded.<br/>
"Yes?" Charles called, straightening his jacket.<br/>
Storm was at the door. "We've had a report come in this morning, you might want to see," she said, concern in her eyes directed at Charles. She briefly looked to Magneto, and the glance they exchanged felt meaningful. He tried to convey that whatever it was, he was here to help, and she seemed satisfied with that. "It's about David."</p>
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